Mutational analysis of the HIV-1 Vpu protein.

The human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) encoded Vpu protein facilitates the release of budding virions from the surface of infected cells and delays the rate of syncytium formation of the virus. Furthermore, Vpu induces rapid degradation of nascent CD4 molecules that are retained in the endoplasmic reticulum by the formation of gp160-CD4 complexes. Currently, little is known of the precise mechanism(s) by which Vpu function. Whether or not these different events are related remain unclear. In this report, we describe our recent structure/function studies on vpu suggesting that the protein may have independent biological activities during the HIV-1 infection.